HÀ NỘI — The northern province of Sơn La will export Sông Mã longan to the United States for the first time in the next few days.

Nguyễn Đình Tùng, general director of Vina T&T Import Export Service Trading Company Ltd., said his company had worked with Sơn La’s Department of Industry and Trade and the plantation areas, and had completed the packaging process to transfer the juicy fruits to Hà Nội’s Nội Bài International Airport.

From Hà Nội, the lot will be flown to HCM City for radiation, and then shipped to the US.

Sông Mã longan is a sweet-tasting fruit with a thick, juicy pulp and small seed planted on the hills and mountains of the province’s Sông Mã District. It has distinct taste and quality compared to other types of longan in the country, Tùng added.

The first time shipment of Sông Mã longan to the US is to introduce the product to the market. If consumers enjoy the fruit, the company will continue the export, Tùng said.

Around 32,000 households in Sơn La Province grow longan on over 5,000 hectares of land and produce a yield of 40,000 tonnes of longan per year. It is not only consumed fresh, but a large quantity of longan is also processed and dried, mainly serving the northern market as well as exported to China.

Last year, Việt Nam earned US$2.4 billion from the export of fruits and vegetables, of which $6 million came from Vina T&T.

As the market shows positive signs, the company aims to earn $12 million this year, double its 2016 figures. In the first seven months of 2017, the company has already earned $8 million.

As per the latest figures from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Việt Nam earned $360 million through the export of fruits and vegetables in July, taking it to $2.03 billion in the first seven months of this year, an increase of 48.9 per cent compared to the same period last year. — VNS